The 37th Chamber 02.06.10: The Top 10 Hip-Hop Albums Of 2009

Posted by Patrick Robinson on 02.06.2010

2009 was an impressive year for hip-hop and based on votes from you, the readers, we have compiled a list of the Top 10 Hip-Hop Albums released in 2009! What albums made the cut, is your favorite on the list? Only one way to find out!

Well look here, it's Friday night and I actually have no health problems or computer troubles for what feels like the first time in almost a month. Actually, its 3 weeks so not that far off I guess.

Work almost screwed me over though, well for nothing particularly important – I had to register with a Russian torrent site so that I could get a copy of an anime soundtrack in FLAC. GLORIOUS FLAC! Whoever told me to listen to FLAC to start with is to be praised because I can actually tell the difference now that I've bought myself some decent headphones.

I also converted the firmware on my iPod to ROCKBOX which needs to be typed in ALL CAPS because it is ROCKBOX and sounds awesome. It is fairly awesome although it does have the somewhat problematic side effect of not allowing me to turn off my iPod quickly.

Funny happening at work today would have to be the old lady telling me that she has "enormous boobs". That is a direct quote, no changes applied. You know, you try not to laugh at these things, but don't you find that it's sometimes funnier when you know you can't laugh? HA.

The Top 10 Albums Of 2009

As chosen by you, the readers

Yes indeed, it's finally here! The Top 10 Albums Of 2009 – The Reader's Choice Awards!

So without further ado, let me explain how I delegated point scores and then jump into it.

Basically, if you imagine that an album appearing at the Number 10 position is awarded 1 point, and an album appearing at the Number 9 position is awarded 2 points, increasing to Number 1 which gets 10 points, you have the system I used.

To qualify for the list, the album had to have been released in 2009, simple as that. No EPs were going to be included (unless they were killer EPs, fortunately, nobody suggested any anyway).

Now I don't know if this system is inherently flawed, it's certainly not perfect, but it's not too bad I don't think. I compiled everyone's lists left in the Comment sections as well as emails I received, wrote them all up, gave them points, tallied it, and the results we have here as follows.

So, big disclaimer here, THIS ISN'T MY TOP 10 LIST! This is a list of the 10 Best Albums of 2009, as chosen by the readers of the 37th Chamber. Questions such as "Why didn't you mention XYZ" can simply be answered by "Well it wasn't my list".

MY LIST will go up next week as it appeared in the Staff roundups for the year.

Honorable Mentions

Close but no cigar. These were albums that popped up on more than one list but didn't quite make the Top 10 in the end.

Fabolous - Loso's Way

I've listened to bits and pieces and from what I've heard; it's certainly more accessible than his previous albums.

Royce Da 5'9" - Street Hop

Very disappointed in myself that I haven't heard this yet.

K'Naan - Troubadour

Hopefully someone reading this can answer, but how much of this is reggae influenced? I only ask because I've never been terribly good with reggae sounds (I'm holding out hope that the Nas / Damian Marley album will change things but until then…)

Brother Ali - Us

Much like Ali's previous effort, The Undisputable Truth, I expect to be kicking myself when I finally get around to this album.

Number 10

Method Man & Redman - Blackout! 2

Released: May 19

What struck me most about this release when I first heard it was how enthusiastic and invigorated both Meth and Red sounded throughout the album. If you're familiar with Method Man, there are times when his flow makes it sound like he's sleepy or mailing in his verse, and to be fair, there ARE times in his career when he hasn't really given it his all. Not here however as both rappers stepped it up and really brought forth an album that was worthy of the original's name.

For me, what made this album was how the production complimented the artist's perfectly. All too often we see artists who came up in the Golden Era that are now sadly on Independent labels with a fraction of the budget they were used to on the majors (not saying that money is everything, but it is probably nice to have a big budget for this kind of thing) reduced to bringing in no-name producers who do a fairly no-name worthy job with the results being unspectacular (of course there ARE many exceptions to this).

Here though, Red and Meth employed beats by producers who they had worked with in the past for an album that would be as close as possible, without becoming a clone, of the original's vibe. The results definitely impressed as there was a consistent feel of a grimy-funk if you will, a blend of both artist's style when they first debuted and what has kept them popular over the years.

Number 9

Ghostface Killah - Ghostdini: The Wizard Of Poetry In Emerald City

Released: September 29

I honestly had my doubts about this simply. Hip-hop has a rich history of classic releases. R&B has a rich history of classic releases. Hip-hop/R&B blends do not as a rule. The more Ghost talked about this album though, I began to feel more confident that it wouldn't be something totally left-field in terms of experimenting with R&B sounds and themes (kind of like how 808s COULD have been really good, but numerous factors brought it down). In the end, it was revealed that Ghost would mainly be working with R&B beats and artists, but mostly rapping himself instead of singing like I had feared. Ghost isn't a bad singer, but I certainly wouldn't want an entire album of him singing to be honest.

The album was, as a result, everything Ghost had said it would be. Hooking up with artists such as Raheem DeVaughn, Estelle and John Legend to craft albums with R&B themes in mind. Ghost kept it mature though, avoiding any feelings of mushy sentiment or whining over broken relationships and always ensured that he was rapping as an adult man, dealing with adult relationship problems – no schoolyard break-ups here.

It's an album that might not please the first time around, I will certainly acknowledge that as it took me the full three listens (as per my rule) to REALLY appreciate it for what it was worth. Tracks like "Baby" and "Lonely" were good examples of the mood Ghost was aiming for with the inclusion of a "Guest House" almost as insurance that this was still a Ghostface Killah album at heart. I honestly think that "Guest House" is one of the most entertaining story-tracks Ghost has ever done. It was an excellent listen and an album I continue to play a good four months after its release.

Number 8

Mos Def - The Ecstatic

Released: June 9

When I first had a look at the album I was kind of worried, five tracks clocking in close to or under 2 minutes? Not to mention that the album cover looked kind of plan once again, not featuring Mos' name or an album name. I was very much worried that we'd see a return of True Magic.

THANKFULLY, instead of some kind of low-budget effort, we got some of Mos' best work in years. Whilst he's never been a slouch on the mic, Mos is one artist that suffers from a lack of enthusiasm in his projects more than others. The New Danger, whilst not being awful, certainly wasn't up to the critical acclaim of his debut album Black On Both Sides. Although The Ecstatic might not have been a return to Black On Both Sides, it was definitely worth the listen as Mos seems very content to just be rapping.

One criticism people mentioned to me was that it sounded a bit like Mos was freestyling topics off the top of his head at times. True, it does seem a bit like that, especially when you factor the song length into the equation but I've preferred to look at it like Mos simply rapping about things he knows. There's clever wordplay still but the album would be nothing without the solid production efforts from Oh No and Madlib in particular.

You may know Madlib from his collaboration with MF DOOM called Madvillainy and you may also know that that album featured very short tracks as well. Perhaps the two were drawing inspiration from that album as Mos has created something that could very easily have once been the blueprint to a future MF DOOM album.

Number 7

Eminem - Relapse

Released: May 15

Interestingly, Relapse didn't top anybody's list which came as a surprise to me as I believed it would have at some point. I suppose now that we have had time to dwell on it, the flaws have become more apparent whilst the good parts of the album have maintained it enough that it was still mentioned in the lists.

I have gone into great detail on Relapse numerous times throughout the year so I'll keep it a bit shorter here.

Having let the album grow and fade on me for a while now, I've come to realize that this was probably the right album to do. Although others will probably strongly disagree with me, I think that this was an excellent way to slot himself back into the game. Sure the concepts have been covered before and although the drug addictions have realness and an emotion behind them that we hadn't seen on previous efforts, when someone has been away from their craft, whether it be writing, singing, wrestling or acting in a movie, the best way to get back into the rhythm of things is to essentially, go the safe route and perform in an environment that is comfortable for YOU the performer. Sure it might not be the best thing to give to the fans at that point in time, but as an artist looking to make a long-term impact in the game, for Eminem's own sake, I think he believed this was the best way to get back into hip-hop.

Now the weird accent was certainly a gamble, and one I think most will agree didn't really payoff. Virtually every review I have read of Relapse has mentioned in it some way, with probably 99% of them being in a negative light. Still, when it comes down to it, Relapse is very much like an updated version of The Slim Shady LP and I think Eminem wanted that, what with the whole Relapse title have different meanings to it.

In the end, it was a very solid effort from a man who had been a stranger to hip-hop for a while and if appearances on "Forever" and "Drop The World" are any indication, it doesn't seem to me that Eminem has lost his touch altogether. Hopefully Relapse 2 will be everything we expected from this album, more and hopefully without that weird accent.

Number 6

Wale - Attention: Deficit

Released: November 10

This is the first of two albums on the list that I am yet to hear to unfortunately I cannot comment much on them. I'm quite surprised that this album appeared here to be honest. I thought that the general consensus was that it was a good album, but not quite Top 10 material, perhaps falling in the 10-15 range. I guess I was wrong.

I will make this one of the first albums I get around to listening to (behind Number 3, the other album I haven't heard yet) this year.

My understanding of the album was also that it had somewhat failed to live up to the hype. Wale to me, was being painted very much as a rapper who was attempting to bring some creativity into his rhymes through mixtapes such as The Mixtape About Nothing which utilized samples from Seinfeld as well as concepts such as the naming of the various songs on the mixtape.

I was getting the feeling that people were saying Wale had somewhat ‘sold out' on Attention: Deficit making a more straight-laced album, but again, I guess I was wrong.

Oh well, I've got some listening to catch up on this year by the looks of it.

Number 5

Jay-Z - Blueprint 3

Released: September 8

Interestingly, this album ranked quite highly on three lists, coming in around the 3-4 mark and at the very bottom on three other lists, averaging out here at Number 5.

Funnily enough, this is an album that has enhanced the feelings I already had at the start and has not changed my mind otherwise i.e. the songs I hated then, I still hate now, and the songs I loved then, I still love now. Months on and I'm still playing "Run This Town" and "Young Forever" in the car (although they're due for a change out with the next CD to be honest).

What many viewed as a problem on the album, I actually found to be one of its strengths. People were often criticizing the production saying that it was either too experimental or simply wasn't that good. I disagreed with both those statements as I found the album to be quite an interesting experience from a production standpoint.

Tracks like "On To The Next One" by Swizz is a new sound for Jay, he hasn't really rapped over anything like that before. Similarly if you had told me that Jay was planning on rapping over a sample of "Forever Young", I probably wouldn't have believed you, given it's one of those iconic songs that virtually everyone has heard at some point in their lives and is a song that is usually best left alone. Then again, I thought Whitney Houston's version of "I Will Always Love You" was untouchable too…until I heard Nicki Minaj (WHAT HAS SHE DONE FOR US LATELY?) and the Young Money crew get their hands on it. Especially GUDDA GUDDA author of the iconic "GROCERY BAG" line (still saying that in casual conversation by the way, I hope you are too).

Back on track, Jay was mostly the same old Jay and if anything has soured a little, I suppose it's the fact that it's not an album that grows on you from a lyrical standpoint – it's very much an album that leaves an impressive first impression, but thereafter it's still the same after the 10th listen instead of making a growing impression.

Regardless, it's an album worthy of a Top 5 spot and I would suggest that anybody who hasn't listened to it at least give it a go. It might not leave the same impression as it did with me, but from a hip-hop history perspective, it's one of those albums that is always going to be mentioned if just for its namesake.

Number 4

Raekwon - Only Built 4 Cuban Linx II

Released: September 8

If Meth and Red had a difficult job trying to live up to the original Blackout! namesake, Raekwon had a damn near impossible one. How often do sequels, whether it be books, movies or albums, fall flat because of the comparisons to the first? It's unfortunate but it's human nature to seek comparisons so we know how to gauge something's worth.

A sequel to an album widely regarded the best Wu release and one of the best hip-hop releases of all time is almost certainly going to be compared to its predecessor. So it came as a HUGE surprise to me when I discovered, upon listening to the album, that it was damn good. Coming off a few average albums was probably just the right motivation Raekwon needed in order to make sure his name was still mentioned when discussions turn to Wu members who can still consistently rock a mic.

What I loved most about the album was the production and how Raekwon almost effortlessly made it his own. The tracks all matched up with the Mafioso theme that Rae had originally helped make popular and it honestly felt like the album could have dropped say, 2 years after the original, as opposed to 14 years.

Interestingly, this album actually had the most appearances on lists over any other album mentioned here yet didn't appear in the Number 1 spot on any of them. In fact, the highest it charted was at Number 4 which was an interesting contrast to my own list where it was steadfastly in the Number 1 spot from its drop date to the end of the year.

If you haven't listened to this album yet, and consider yourself to be somewhat of a Wu-Tang fan, or even if you're not a fan but don't dislike them, GO AND LISTEN TO IT NOW. It is an album that I would recommend to anybody and everybody, even those who are diehard Gucci Inexplicably Popular Mane fans, simply so they know exactly HOW RAP IS SUPPOSED TO SOUND.

If you haven't listened to it yet, the list can wait. Go do so now and then continue reading. Thank you.

Number 3

Skyzoo: The Salvation

Released: September 29

The other album on this list I haven't heard yet, for it to have charted so high despite appearing on only four lists (came in at Number 1 once, Number 2 twice and Number 3 once), says something about the album.

Mainly that I'm probably going to kick myself quite firmly when I finally get around to listening to it for not doing so sooner. To be fair, this WAS coming out right around the time I was planning to leave for Japan so I didn't have much time for it.

Looking at the Producers attached though, I'm getting more agitated by the fact that I can't seem to find the damn thing on my external to listen to to start with. If I could see it in the bloody shops I'd actually buy it without having listened to it first, which hopefully shows how trusting I am of your opinions but once again, Australia and our hip-hop phobia strikes once more and the retail outlets refuse to stock anything which isn't by a Top 40 MTV artist. GAH.

Ugh seriously, production from Just Blaze, 9th Wonder, Nottz, Black Milk and Needlz? The hell is wrong with me! Hmm now I can't remember if I actually got it or not to start with. Might have to try and dig through iTunes which is playing up a lot. I'm actually in the process this week of getting rid of it since I won't need it anymore.

Number 2

Slaughterhouse - Slaughterhouse

Released: August 11

The more I hear from the Slaughterhouse Four, the more I want another album this year. But I'll concede that they (well Crooked I and Joell Ortiz), really need to get some more solo stuff out first too. Sure Crook's got the Hip-Hop Weekly stuff, but that's not got the rounded feeling an album will. Also I'd really like to see what Joell Ortiz can do with proper label backing as opposed to releasing an album on an independent whilst the major label dicks around.

Anyway, what impressed me the most was that even though these guys hadn't done any extensive collaborative work before their track on Budden's album, they really showed some well-developed chemistry on the album. Possibly from intensive album sessions (if you look at it, the announcement came they were forming a group, then almost straight away the album came out) to get the music out, possibly just the fact that they have similar base styles in hip-hop, who knows.

Whatever it was, the album turned out to impress me a lot more than I thought it would considering groups like this can often be thrown together without any real planning behind it. In the end though, I am happy to be proven wrong and tracks surfacing all the time now that are being called leftovers from the album or teasers for future works only has me eager for another album. If anything, the album has also served as a way to introduce the members to people that the public might not be as aware of. I'm sure that most people know Joe Budden and Royce but I'll be willing to bet that there were more than a few who weren't as knowledgeable in regards to Joell Ortiz and Crooked I. I certainly wasn't, so this album served as an effect way to hype their own work as well.

Crooked I mentions at one point that they are the (can't quite remember, feel free to correct me) "evolutionary Four Horsemen" in regards to, I assume, the HRSMN group comprised of Ras Kass, Canibus, Kurupt and Killah Priest. With Kurupt talking about getting the group together to put an album out (ABOUT DAMN TIME) perhaps a friendly rivalry or even better still, a collaboration track on one or both albums might result.

This is definitely one for the more lyrically inclined people though as it's as straight a hip-hop as you're going to come across.

AND THE NUMBER 1 ALBUM FOR 2009 IS…

Kid Cudi - Man On The Moon: The End Of The Day

Released: September 15

Topping three lists and coming in at Number 2 and 3 on two more, this album was a clear winner for Album of the Year in the end.

In a time where a lot of hip-hop fans are constantly wondering how rapper XYZ got a record deal or why rapper ABC hasn't put an album worth listening to out in years, it's possibly because hip-hop is in such a stale state at the moment that an album like Kid Cudi's couldn't help but leave a lasting impression on us.

With the majority of rap being fairly straightforward, with very rare exceptions such as Ghostface Killah's album looking to change things up a bit dropping, an album like Kid Cudi's is certainly a rarity. Featuring a fair amount of singing to back Cudi's raps, the album was a true LISTENING EXPERIENCE, something that is often lost in the corporate shuffle of albums these days. From start to finish, I had no idea where the album was intending to go, or whether or not I'd be truly satisfied at the end but repeat listens yielded one constant every time – it was, simply put, excellent music. Removing the boundaries of the ideals behind ‘genre' and you are left with an album that utilizes different sounds and styles to take you on a journey through the consciousness of the rapper.

In a world where I think people are becoming naturally jaded with things in life an album like this can be a real shakeup and assault on the senses (a good one) and it can be a good reminder that good music DOES exist out there!

The album itself is still hard to describe and that's coming off 4 months of listening to it on and off. If anything, I'd have to say it's a hip-hop album that isn't afraid of exploring other genres and embracing their best assets for a well-rounded album in the end. This is another album I'd be recommending to anybody regardless of their opinions on hip-hop as it's definitely an album that transcends the concept of ‘genre' to simply become good music.

The Aftermath

Looking back, 2009 was a fairly good year for hip-hop with a handful of really outstanding releases backed up by numerous solid to above average releases. Interestingly, FIVE of the Top 10 albums were released in September alone with FOUR of those being in the Top 5. Not to mention the M.O.P. album, Foundation that seems to have been overlooked in favor of other albums which was also released in September. I'm going to go out on a limb, a fairly sturdy one I think, and say that September of 2009 was the best month for hip-hop in the whole 00s decade. I'd challenge anyone to find another month throughout the 10 year period which yielded as many albums in that one month of the same caliber as Ghost, Jay, Raekwon, Kid Cudi, M.O.P. and Skyzoo's albums.

I hope that this list represents a fair part of everyone reading and if there's an album that didn't quite make the cut, feel free to make a case for it in the Comments section. As I do each year, I'm going to be running a "New Year's Resolution" list (…wow it's late) of albums that I intend on listening to that I didn't get around to in 2009 due to whatever reasons.

With that, it's time for me to go, I have my grandfather's 80th birthday party tomorrow, and we're heading out to a seafood restaurant and intend to gorge myself on a prawn dish of some sort. Here's hoping I don't magically develop an allergy to shellfish between now and tomorrow lunchtime.

Catch you next week!